


Old Symbols on New Armor

by RobinPlaysTrumpet15



Series: Obi-Wan "The Therapist" Kenobi and How He Changed Everything [12]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Armor, CC-2224 | Cody is not, Feelings, First Kiss, Gray Jedi, Jedi, Jedi Temple (Star Wars), M/M, Mando'a, Mention of Physical Assault, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Mess, Painting, do not copy to another site, except that he definitely is, implied/referenced racist behavior against clones, it's very brief, star wars library
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-19 14:43:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22479388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinPlaysTrumpet15/pseuds/RobinPlaysTrumpet15
Summary: Cody can't get what Obi-Wan said out of his head. It also gives him an idea.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: Obi-Wan "The Therapist" Kenobi and How He Changed Everything [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584874
Comments: 46
Kudos: 1071





	Old Symbols on New Armor

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you like this installment! Fair warning, there are a few lines of Mando'a in here. All of them will be translated in the end notes. If you want to check them out before you read through the story, feel free. If not, it's fairly easy to figure out what's going on out of context.
> 
> **WARNING:** The second paragraph of this story includes a brief mention of racist behavior against clones, as well as threats and a physical assault. If these things bother you, I would suggest skipping that paragraph. These things are not mentioned again in the rest of the story.

Cody bit the inside of his cheek, checking his pace once again. He only had so much time before they shipped out tomorrow morning, and he needed to find what he was looking for before that.

Months and months ago, the clones had been granted access to the library inside the Temple. This decision came after there had been several too many incidents with patrons of the local public library not taking too kindly to the clones making use of it. They claimed they didn’t have a right to use the library, and there had even been a few threats. One brother had been physically assaulted while on leave because he’d been looking for a quiet place to read a holonovel for awhile.

So after that, a notification had gone out to the entire GAR that they were welcome in the Temple library, as long as they followed the rules and were quiet and respectful. And so far, they had been.

So that was where Cody was heading. He’d been trying to think of a way to get Obi-Wan to wear armor again for several months now. Finally, he’d thought of something.

The man had told him yesterday evening, after getting back from the council meeting, some of what had been discussed. And he’d mentioned something that Cody just couldn’t get out of his head.

_“Pure Light is just as blinding as true Darkness.”_

He’d gone on to say to Cody that without darkness, there cannot be light.

Which had reminded him of a symbol he had seen in a book at some point. He thought he remembered what book it had been. Hopefully, he could find it again and read up on whatever he could.

The Temple library had quickly become a place Cody liked immensely. It was large with high ceilings and what seemed to be an endless number of shelves and books and holopads. The whole place carried a sense of serenity and calm, with Jedi, and now clones, coming and going, reading and researching and learning. The lighting added to the peaceful atmosphere, everything just barely backlit in soft whites and blues.

With a centering breath and just the hint of a contented smile, Cody went to work, searching for whatever book it was he’d all but forgotten about. After wracking his memory more than just a couple times and searching through more materials than he’d ever thought possible, he gave up. He’d just have to ask someone for help.

Cody found Madame Jocasta, thankfully, with little effort.

The older woman smiled at him warmly, just as she always did for those who respected her library. Woe be to the person who didn’t. Cody had never seen Jocasta Nu in action, but he assumed he didn’t want to.

“Commander,” she greeted him gently. “How can I help you today?”

“Master Nu,” Cody responded in kind with a slight bow. It wasn’t how he was used to greeting people, but the woman insisted and Cody wasn’t about to argue. “I was hoping you could point me in the direction of a book I’ve been looking for. It has a symbol in it I wanted to learn more about.”

“Ah!” said the woman, her blue eyes lighting up. “Wonderful. Would you happen to remember the name?”

Cody gave her a sheepish look.

“Unfortunately, no. But I do remember the symbol I saw in it, if that would help?”

Jocasta nodded her head, still smiling, as she moved them towards one of the terminals.

“Anything you can tell me, Commander, will be a help. This symbol? What was it?”

“It was of a person. The background was black on one side and white on the other. The robes were opposite. This person held what seemed to be a lightsaber up vertically, splitting the imagine in halves,” Cody explained. As he did so, Madame Jocasta’s face lit up in recognition.

“Ahh,” she sighed reverently. “You have seen the symbol of the Prime Jedi.”

She typed at the keys for a moment, bringing up a page on the screen. At the very top was the symbol Cody had described to her. There were several versions of it there, some in the form of mosaics and others inked onto flimsi pages.

The woman stood and gestured for Cody to sit in the newly available seat. He nodded his thanks to her and sat down, tucking into the terminal politely.

Jocasta stood at his side, a hand on the back of his shoulder, as she leaned over to speak with him.

“The Prime Jedi was the first member of the Jedi Order. This individual founded the Order nearly ten thousand years ago on the planet Ahch-To. There, the first Jedi Temple was established, and inside, it contains a mosaic of this symbol. It depicts the Prime Jedi in a state of meditation and balance, represented by the dark and light spaces. It speaks of the darkness and light that exists within each of us as living beings. Together, with these forces working in tandem and harmony, a person can bring oneself into balance within the Force,” the woman said lowly.

Cody hummed an acknowledgement, his eyes tracing over the different copies of the symbol.

“What about these circles, here?” he asked, pointing out the black circle within the white background and it’s opposite, white twin on the other side in the black background.

Madame Jocasta smiled again.

“There must be darkness within light, and light within darkness. Otherwise balance is near impossible. The harsher the light is, the darker the shadow will grow. But if we are kept in a dimmer, neutral balance, neither should be able to overpower the other.”

Cody thought briefly to himself that Obi-Wan and Madame Jocasta should really sit down together some time and have a talk. They seemed to share several similar views on the matter of balance within the Force.

“Thank you, Master Nu,” Cody said after a few seconds of contemplation. “Would you mind if I copied this article to my HUD for later use?”

The expression he was graced with from the elderly Jedi was entirely pleased and endearing.

“Of course not, dear,” she agreed easily. “Information should be available to anyone. I do hope you have a plan for this?”

Cody nodded before he could even think about it.

“Well, use it well, and I wish you luck.” She straightened herself again, giving the commander’s shoulder a gentle pat. “And do say hello to your general for me. He has not visited recently, and he was always a sweet boy.”

Cody smiled, tapping through a holoscreen at his wrist to sync it with the terminal.

“Of course, Master Nu.”

The woman strolled off again, quickly being stopped by a young padawan looking for assistance. The work of a librarian in a Jedi Temple never seemed to be done.

Cody finished copying the necessary images and information and then closed out of the terminal. He had to get back to the barracks and get working if he wanted to be done when the battalion was scheduled to leave in the morning.

*

Heading back to the barracks, Cody didn’t keep his pace as checked and lax as he had before. Sure, the day wasn’t hardly over, but he still had plans. And as he’d only done this once, he needed to grab some help to ensure his plan would go off without a hitch.

Thankfully, he found exactly the two people he was looking for.

Crys was with “A” Squad in the Werda Platoon quarters. Cody called in from the doorway. When the blonde joined him in the hall, Cody grasped his wrist and dragged him alone with a vague sense of urgency. They came across Waxer’s Platoon next, quickly extracting Boil from his squad.

Both had asked what was going on and what Cody wanted and where they were going, but the commander wouldn’t respond.

Finally, Cody hauled them both into his private quarters, sitting them down on the currently unoccupied second bunk opposite from his own. On top of his own regulation sheets and covers was a brand new set of armor that looked nearly exactly like the set Obi-Wan had worn for a year at the start of the war.

“I need your help,” Cody told them, his tone firm and clipped.

“Yeah, figured that out,” Boil griped, rubbing at his wrist a little bit.

“With what?” Crys asked.

Cody gestured to the armor on his bed.

“The general doesn’t wear any armor-”

“You think we haven’t noticed that?” Boil cut in.

Cody glared at him.

“And I want to change that,” he finished. “That and I want him to really understand how important he is to us.”

Crys’ eyes lit up.

“Are we going to paint?” he asked, excited.

Cody’s hard expression melted away into a smile of his own. He nodded, opening a drawer beneath his bunk and pulling out a fresh set of paints and brushes.

“Yes,” he confirmed. Boil gave a cheer. “And I know exactly what we’re gonna paint for him, too.”

“Oh yeah?” Crys asked. “What’s that?”

Cody placed the new armor on the floor in the middle of the room, bringing out the paints as well.

“Well he had the Jedi symbol on each shoulder before, so I figured we could put that on there again,” Cody explained, looking over shades of paints and settling on crimson for that one. “But I wanted to add a new one.”

“What of?”

Cody lifted his wrist and tapped around on his gauntlet, accessing the files of his HUD. He brought up the pictures of the Prime Jedi, displaying them for his brothers.

“This,” he said. Boil and Crys looked them over with searching expressions.

“What is it?”

“Master Nu said it’s a depiction the Prime Jedi. It represents balance within oneself and within the Force - how there’s both light and dark inside all of us, and that we have to embrace both to find a true balance where neither overpowers the other.”

“So… that stuff General’s been saying since Umbara?” Boil questioned, turning his eyes back to Cody.

He nodded.

“So? What do you think?”

“I like it,” Crys decided.

“I think it’s good,” Boil agreed. “But, I don’t think we should help.”

Cody blanked.

“What?”

“Cody, _ori’vod_ ,” Boil said easily. “I think this needs to come from you.”

“But- but I don’t want to screw it up!” he told them. “And the both of you have a lot of practice, and this needs to be perfect.”

“I think what Boil’s saying,” Crys offered in a smooth recovery, “is that we can help you make sure it comes out nice. But you should be the one to do this.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah! Come on, Codes!” Boil teased, shoving at his shoulder good naturedly. “We wouldn’t just leave you hangin’. We won’t let you screw up a present for your _riduur_.”

Cody flushed.

“He’s _not_ my _riduur_ , _di’kut_.”

His brothers turned to one another, sharing a look. They clearly didn’t believe him.

“He’s not!”

Boil put his hands in the air.

“Okay,” he conceded. “He’s not.”

Cody glared, waiting for whatever was coming next.

“Yet.”

“Get out.”

Soon enough, they’d dissolved into fits of giggles, hitting at one another in what would have been a pillow fight, if only there’d been more than one pillow.

*

Cody hardly even noticed the tip of his tongue poking out of his mouth as his carefully traced the black-coated brush in a gentle curve along what had once been pristine white armor. This was the last stroke of paint he needed for the symbol. He’d decided to paint it right in the center of the back part of the new chest protector. It was a slightly different style than the one Obi-Wan had previously worn, but this was better anyhow.

The shoulder pauldrons had both gotten their own paintings as well. On the right, there was the symbol of the Jedi Order, painted with care and a semi-steady hand in crimson red. The left now held a small splash art piece Crys and Boil had worked on together. It branded Obi-Wan as their general and part of their family in 212th Gold.

Sighing Cody set the armor piece down, dunking his paintbrush into the cup of murky water they’d been using. Finally, he was nearly done. All they needed to do now was let it all dry for a few hours and then coat it in a clear sealant. They had learned quickly that additions done with the non-regulation yellow scratched and wore off much sooner than anticipated. So a clear sealant had become standard as it protected the artwork and helped it last longer.

Crys leaned over, inspecting his handiwork.

“Looks good, Cody,” the man complimented.

“Thanks,” he sighed again. He’d been sitting hunched over long enough that his back was aching now and the muscles in his legs were cramping up.

“I think he’s really gonna like it,” Boil offered.

Cody sent a tired sort of smile at him.

“I hope so,” he said. “Honestly, I just hope he actually _wears_ it.”

Boil and Crys chuckled in agreement.

“Well, this should dry soon. Then we can put the clear stuff over top. So, while that dries-” Boil rubbed his hands together. “-who wants to go get something to eat?”

Cody glanced at the glowing clock on the desk against the wall.

“It is after dinner, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Boil groaned out. “And I’m starving. As much fun as this has been-”

Crys smacked Boil’s bicep with a reproachful look.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re hungry. Come on, you little shit,” Crys teased, shoving Boil towards the door. “We’ll get some food in you.”

Boil was pushed through the open door, though he didn’t seem to mind very much. He just continued down the hallway, expecting his brothers to follow him.

Crys turned an amused smile back to Cody, gesturing for him to join them.

“ _Kaysh guur’ skraan_ ,” Cody laughed, stepping gingerly over the splayed out pieces of drying armor.

Crys threw an armor over Cody’s shoulders, guiding him after Boil in search of dinner.

*

The next morning, Cody was up earlier than necessary.

He had everything he’d taken off the _Negotiator_ packed up and placed in a communal pile in the common room of the barracks, ready to be packed away onto the ship in about an hour. But he had something he had to do before they got back on the ship.

Cody found himself raising Obi-Wan on his comlink, and smiling when the man answered. He hadn’t sounded like he’d just woken, which was a little concerning, but hey. Sometimes their sleep schedules were just too karked up to sleep for long or at all. It wasn’t something to be concerned about until it went longer than a night or two.

But Obi-Wan had granted him permission to meet in his quarters within the Temple, so that was where Cody was heading.

He also had a case with him, filled with the freshly painted, brand new armor he and Crys and Boil had worked so hard on the day before.

He knocked at Obi-Wan’s door briefly before entering the code to go in.

The Jedi was standing at the little kitchenette off to the right, making tea. He turned a bright smile in Cody’s direction as the door slid closed behind him again.

“Good morning, Cody,” Obi-Wan greeted. “It’s still a little early, even for us. What’s the occasion?”

Cody returned the look, but didn’t say anything yet. Instead, he moved to the small dining table and set his case upon it.

“This has been a little while coming,” he told the man, enjoying the spark of interest in his blue eyes. “But I- we made you something.”

The auburn haired man finished his sip of tea, smiling again and setting the cup aside.

“What did you make me?” he asked, curious.

In lieu of an answer, Cody opened the case. The new armor sat there with the paintings on the shoulder pauldrons on full display.

Obi-Wan laughed.

“I knew this would happen eventually!” he said. “You pestered me for a week about wearing armor when I was first assigned to the 212th. And then you let it go so easily!”

Cody’s eye twitched, but he remained in a good mood otherwise.

“Yes, well… I was just coming up with a plan,” he admitted.

“Now that’s the Cody I know.”

Carefully, Obi-Wan reached into the case and lifted the rounded plates of armor. He inspected the red Jedi Order symbol first, smiling at it and complimenting the clean, steady lines. Then he turned his attention to the brand Crys and Boil had provided.

“Crys and Boil painted that one,” Cody offered.

“And you did the Order symbol?” Obi-Wan asked, not exactly absently, but with his eyes still on the pauldron in his hands.

“And one other thing.” Cody reached into the case, drawing Obi-Wan’s attention. He lifted the chest piece and turned it over carefully, offering it to the man at his side.

A soft sound escaped Obi-Wan. He set the shoulder pad aside, taking the new plate of armor from Cody’s hands. His fingers skimmed over the glossed-over paint ever so lightly, following the curls and curves of black on white.

“Cody, this is- Where did you-?”

Blue eyes turned up to Cody’s amber-brown ones, shining with something warm and vulnerable.

A slight flush crept up Cody’s cheeks.

“I saw it in a book I read a while back,” he admitted. “And you’ve been talking about balance and the light and dark sides of the Force so… I went looking for it again. Master Nu found it for me and told me about the Prime Jedi who founded the Order. And I thought that if you had to have something painted on your armor, it would be this.”

Gently, Obi-Wan replaced the pieces of armor back into the case.

“Cody, that's-” he started, cutting himself off with a huffed little breath. “You’re amazing.”

“Well, I- I, uh-” Cody felt his blush deepening. He was well aware of just how close he and Obi-Wan were standing, and it wasn’t doing him many favors. “And you- you’re perfect.”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows shot up, his expression surprised but pleasantly happy.

Cody would smack himself if he wasn’t standing so close to the man he cared for.

“I mean-” he corrected. “I didn’t mean that. Or- I mean, I did. But I didn’t mean to- to say that and… and…”

And he couldn’t keep a coherent train of thought running through his head apparently. Obi-Wan’s presence was warm and relaxing. The man was clearly doing absolutely nothing to stifle his smile, and there was amusement dancing in his eyes. Cody kind of hated how it made him feel all weak in the knees.

This was his general, for gods’ sakes! Some weeks, he spent nearly every waking moment with him. He’d been at his side since Skywalker passed his Trials and was promoted to General. He knew Obi-Wan left worn socks scattered about his quarters on the flagship because he kicks them off in his sleep and forgets to pick them up again. He has literally thrown himself into situations that _should_ have killed him. Cody has had to get him out of a couple of those at _least_!

There was not a single reason why he should feel all… warm and gooey around this absolute disaster of a man.

Except that he looked at Cody and didn’t see another generic copy of someone else. He looked at Cody and saw someone who mattered - someone with thoughts and opinions and feelings and skills. Someone who was smart and calculating, but not nearly perfect. And that was okay. More than that - it was great.

Aside from all that, Obi-Wan was kind and compassionate. He cared about his men - Cody’s brothers - and he cared about his former padawan and his current grandpadawan. He could be funny when he wanted to be and was smooth and calculating when he had to be.

And yeah, okay… he was easy on the eyes. At least in Cody’s opinion. But that was hardly the number one reason.

So… sure, maybe there were… a _couple_ reasons Cody’s insides felt a bit like mush around him.

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t still made at his knees.

Then Obi-Wan was puffing out a little laugh and smiling so, _so_ softly at Cody.

“Cody?” he said, cutting off every incoherent train of thought rocketing around Cody’s brain.

“Yes?” Cody responded, not even noticing when it came out barely a whisper.

“Can I kiss you?”

Error.

503 server unavailable.

404 page not found.

Blue screen of death.

Cody.exe has stopped working.

“ _Me’ven_?” he managed to all but squeak out. It was very un-commander like. He didn’t even realize he’d accidentally switched languages.

Obi-Wan’s laughter rang nothing like a bell, but it certainly chimed warm and bright through Cody’s chest.

“ _Tionni liser mureyca gar_?”

“ _Gedet’ye_ …”

Hands that were both softer and rougher than Cody had expected cupped his jaw, all soft and tender. Obi-Wan moved closer slowly, giving Cody ample time and opportunities to back out. But he didn’t want them. This might well be a dream, and even if it was, Cody was perfectly happy to take the chance.

He leaned forward the last little bit, their mouths meeting in a brush of lips. There was almost no pressure to it, but the contact had the nerve endings in Cody’s skin lighting up like fireworks. Which made it all sound so much more dramatic than it was. It was all rather simple, really.

But with the nightmare their lives could be sometimes, Cody was happy with simple.

Obi-Wan was warm and a little scratchy against him. The kiss lingered on several seconds - just a chaste, gentle press of their lips.

Then, forever later (or perhaps much too soon), Obi-Wan pulled away from him. His hands stayed in place on Cody’s jaw, his thumbs caressing smooth-shaven skin.

“How was that?” he asked.

“Perfect,” Cody breathed.

Another laugh brightened the air around them.

“We’ll have to have an actual conversation about this, Cody,” Obi-Wan pointed out, still smiling. Cody was hopeful that conversation would be ending well. “But for now, I think we have enough time to get back and meet the battalion to head out.”

“Mm,” the commander hummed. “We have orders?”

“Anakin needs our help out on the front. Shouldn’t be too bad.”

They parted fully then, the Jedi’s hands slipping from Cody’s face. Obi-Wan’s attention returned to the armor, sitting forgotten in its case.

“I do love this, Cody,” he said.

“I’m glad. I just hope you love it enough to actually karking wear it, General.”

The absolutely betrayed look he got was worth all the trouble of painting the armor in the first place. It was an absolutely hysterical sight to witness.

“I’ll have you know-”

“Oh hush,” Cody said, cutting him off. In a utterly bold move, he swept in and stole a quick peck on the lips before moving away and heading back towards the door.

“Come on! You can put on the armor on the _Negotiator_. We have a legion to save,” he called backwards. “ _Again_.”

Cody opened the door and stepped outside, waiting for the auburn haired man to follow, the case of armor now in his arms.

The warmth and shining adoration in those blue eyes was worth the entire galaxy, if you asked Cody.

He smiled as they made their way out of the Temple.

For as not Force sensitive as Cody was, he could feel a shift around them. As long as he had Obi-Wan at his side, they would be fine. The world settled around them, shifting and clicking into place like it had always meant to fit that way. And perhaps it was. Maybe this was a long time coming and foreseen by something far greater and much more knowledgeable than Cody.

But Cody was simple. Whatever there was between Obi-Wan and himself was simple, too. And he was perfectly happy with that.

**Author's Note:**

> Mando'a translations:  
> (Note: these definitions provided are for as they are used in this story, not the full, complete definitions provided by the translators and dictionaries I used. If you would like to know the full definitions, feel free to ask.)  
>  _Ori'vod_ \- big brother, older brother  
>  _Riduur_ \- spouse  
>  _Di'kut_ \- idiot  
>  _Kaysh guur' skraan_ \- He loves his food. (Said of someone who has a healthy appetite.)  
>  _Me'ven?_ \- huh? what? Expression of bewilderment or disbelief  
>  _Tionni liser mureyca gar?_ \- Can I kiss you? (If you attempt to look this one up, it won't fully translate properly. If you want to know why, you're welcome to ask.)  
>  _Gedet'ye_ \- please
> 
> Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this installment. This was probably the last one before we start getting into our next big plot points and everything, so I hope you're prepared for that. Comments and kudos are always appreciated, and if you have any ideas for scenes or just little ideas you'd like to see in this series, please let me know. I love to hear your ideas.
> 
> If you're interested, I have a blog for this series. You can [find it here](https://obiwanthetherapistkenobi.tumblr.com/). Come say hi if you'd like!


End file.
